Second Chances
by megamac12
Summary: AU. Modern world. Katniss Everdeen is a surgical resident at Capitol Memorial Hosp. She's tough, and to some may appear cold. Was she always so? Or did something happen in her past? Read on to see what happens when that particular something decides to revisit. Rated M for language and future chapters.
1. Prologue

**Alright. This is my first attempt to write a long story as opposed to one-shots. First chapter is up, and hopefully, I'll be updating regularly. Please read and review, and any suggestions you have, throw them at me! Also, anyone up for beta-ing is welcome.**

**Enjoy.**

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Katniss opened the door to her studio apartment and stumbled inside. She locked the door behind her, and kicked off her sneakers. Coat thrown on the couch. Keys, mobile and pager went on the kitchen counter. She took out what leftovers she could find in the fridge and placed them in the microwave for later. Flicking on the light in the bathroom, she stepped inside and yanked her scrub top off. A look in the mirror showed her a 36 hours' worth of fatigue and sleep deprivation. As she examined her tired eyes she thought to herself, "Well, it's not like someone forced you to become a doctor Kat."

With a sigh she moved away from her reflection and turned on the water in the bath, mixing it to her liking. A long soak and then a well deserved nap was what she needed. And food, of course.

She started to unzip when out of nowhere she heard the faint sound of her beeper buzzing. She grew completely still for a moment, eyes closed in horror, praying that her mind was playing tricks on her. But then she heard it again, the insistent buzzing. A sound she dreaded so much that she'd become particularly attuned to it. She walked back out to the living room/bedroom and she saw that the beeper, indeed, was calling her. All it said was an "emergency." She hurried to the phone and called the hospital.

"Hello, yes, this is Dr. Katniss Everdeen: I'm calling to confirm a page."

"Yes, Dr. Everdeen, you are needed here immediately." Crap. Katniss put on her shirt and went looking for her shoes.

"What is this about?" She donned her jacket, grabbed the keys and headed out the door.

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Katniss maneuvered the car into a narrow parking spot and barely managed to get out. She rushed in the emergency ward expecting some massive trauma but it was all too calm. Confused, Katniss walked over to the nurse in-charge and inquired about the page. She replied,

"Oh yes, Dr. Everdeen, we have a gentleman here to see you. He insisted that it had to be you. We tried telling him that you weren't on call but he refused to see any other doctor."

Slightly irritated and more than a little curious, Katniss asked where this patient was. The nurse pointed towards the back of the waiting area but Katniss couldn't see. So she walked over to find the curious patient. Katniss eyes fell on him and before her mind could register anything, her heart started beating faster. A thousand memories converged on her and she fought for control as they threatened to overwhelm. He stood up and moved toward her.

"Hey, Katniss."

Katniss recoiled, as if she had been struck. "What are _you _doing here?!"

"I came to see you, of course."

Katniss looked about her, knowing they were being closely observed.

"Come with me," she hissed. With that she whipped around and marched into the nearest examining room. She closed the door behind him as he walked in. Then Katniss turned on him.

"Now tell me what do you want? Why are you here?"

"I needed to talk to you. Wanted to see if you're okay and how you were doing." he smiled apprehensively.

Katniss snorted. "Cut the bullshit, okay? If you cared enough to check up on me, you wouldn't have-", she couldn't continue. She looked away from the piercing blue eyes and tried to collect herself. She would _NOT_ appear vulnerable; especially not in front of him.

He sighed. "Alright, you want me to just say it? Say why I'm here?"

"Yes. And get it over with; my time is too precious for me to be wasting it on you." Being rude was the only way to conceal the hurt and anguish that seemed to be washing over her like a tide.

He flinched. "Okay, I guess I deserve that. Well I wanted to do this better but since you're like this, I'll just come out and say it." He took a deep breath, looked her square in the eye and said in a sure voice,

"I have come to ask your hand in marriage."

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**Did you like it? Hate it? Can't wait for the review or wishing you hadn't wasted time reading it? Whatever it is, Review! :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**I know you guys have been waiting for a while, but this is my first long story so please bear with me as I try to be timely about updating the chapters. Thankyou all for the reviews, they're all REALLY appreciated. And yes, Katniss as a surgeon is fun! And you'll definitely be seeing her in action soon :)**

**Any grammar mistakes please point out. I try to be vigilant but you know, to err is human and so on. Also I'm looking for a beta if anybody is interested.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, obviously, except maybe the plot of this fanfiction. ;)**

**R&R, and leave suggestions, if any.**

**Happy reading!**

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** CHAPTER 1**

Katniss sat at the main desk finishing up with her scut work. As being only a second year resident, she was expected to do a little more than scut work. It was close to midnight and then she could finally get off her shift and be heading home.

Tomorrow would be her last day on Dr. Alan's service, who was the head of general surgery. She had seen a lot of appendices, hernias, gall bladders, spleens etc being removed replaced or rescinded. All in all it had been very interesting because other than pediatrics, general surgery was the only field that dealt with a large variety of organs.

She let her mind wander for a while, wondering if general was something she could specialize in. Of course it was still early to be sure even though a few of her fellow residents already had their sights set on a particular field. But deep inside, she knew she would always go back to cardio with Dr. Abernathy, who had become a mentor of sorts to her. He wasn't exactly warm, to be sure, but had that resilience of character that was needed to guide someone in such a cut throat profession.

Oh, what it would be like to be an accomplished surgeon…all those years of hard work and struggle finally paid off. Growing up without a father, and a mother who was a nurse at the county hospital, Katniss and her sister, Primrose didn't always have the best of everything, but they made it work. She knew how proud Prim and mom were to see her as a doctor. Also, the sense of pride she felt at her own personal achievement was something that made everything else worthwhile. Despite all the hardships, she was here. It made her believe in herself.

"Working hard, Everdeen?" A voice rang out, snapping her out of reverie. She looked up to see the grinning face of Gale Hawthorne. Gale was a third year resident and Katniss and he had met in med school. They had formed a quick and easy friendship there, each needing the other's support due to different reasons. An answering smile formed without much effort.

"You know it."

Gale laughed. "What time do you get off? I'm heading out."

Katniss checked her watch. It was 10 to midnight. "I'm off in ten minutes. Wait for me?"

"Sure thing. I'll meet you out by the parking lot in ten." Katniss finished up her charts, arranging them in the order that Dr. Alan required for morning rounds. Then she hurried off to the locker room so she could get changed.

Gale was waiting for her outside on the bench, fiddling with his phone.

"Ready to go?" She called out as she approached him. He got up and started moving to his car.

"Where are we going?"

"We could grab a bite to eat. Or do you want to order in?" He opened the door for her and she got in the car. He seemed to consider that as he started the car. Maneuvering out of the parking, he gave a loud yawn. Katniss smirked.

"Hmm let's order in, I'm dog tired."

They drove in silence the rest of the way. It wasn't really far away, the apartment, but both being so exhausted; they felt it was better to just drive. Katniss shared the place with Gale and a fellow second year resident named Johanna Mason. Gale and Johanna had gotten off on the wrong foot from the get go, butting heads more often than not, however, as Katniss and Johanna lost their third roommate in as many months, Johanna realized that beggars, in fact, can't be choosers and so on Katniss' insistence conceded to having Gale share with them.

Gale parked the car and Katniss and he made their way up to the apartment. He picked up the phone and dialed for Joe's Pizza. He paused midway giving the order, covered the mouthpiece and called out to Katniss who was untying her shoes.

"Is Johanna gonna make it? Or should I just order for the two of us?"

"No, I think she's on a hot date tonight," Katniss raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Gale rolled his eyes and continued with the order. Katniss sat on the couch, trying to get the decrepit TV remote to work. Finished with his call, Gale joined her and stretched and leaned back.

"Pizza should be here in a while. So what have you been up to? Anything exciting happen?"

Katniss had been thinking for a long while whether or not to tell Gale about the incident but in the end, had decided against it. However, as she was about to give him a mundane response, the thing she'd been trying to suppress since it'd happened came bubbling to her lips.

"Peeta came to visit." Katniss heard the sharp intake of breath.

"What?! When did this happen_?_"

"Three days ago."

"And you're telling me _now?_" Seeing Katniss open her mouth to respond, Gale shook his head. "Never mind that. What did he want?"

She felt a faint flush rising to her face, half out of anger; half embarrassment as Peeta's words came rushing back to her.

"He said he wanted to check up on me, see how I was doing and…" she hesitated.

"And what?"

She gave a humorless laugh. "And he proposed."

Gale's mouth dropped open. "He WHAT? Are you kidding me? Anything else?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding? He also said that he was sorry and that if I would give him a chance he would explain everything…why he left…" Katniss stopped, afraid the lump in her throat would become more pronounced.

Gale was quiet for so long, it made Katniss jump when he spoke again, his voice thoughtful.

"Why would he come back now?"

"What?"

"Why now? I mean the way it ended; it doesn't make sense for him to come back… so why come back?" he looked at her as if expecting an answer. Katniss shrugged.

"I don't know, Gale. I don't know. All I know is that I don't want anything to do with him. Ever."

"Katniss," started Gale, his voice taking on a deeper tone. "I know you may not want to hear this…but I think you should give him a chance."

She looked at him sharply. "_What?_"

"I think it'd be a good idea. Maybe he has a good reason. I mean, he came back didn't he?" Gale smiled up at her in a way that was meant to comfort her, but it backfired.

"What the _fuck? _Give him a chance? How can you even say that? She hissed at him. "You were there; you saw what he did to me. What the hell are you smiling at? This isn't a small thing for me, seeing him again and listening to what he said." Her temper shot further as she felt a misplaced sense of betrayal. "I mean whose side are you on, Gale?"

Gale reached forward to try and calm her down and said in a soothing tone, "Katniss it's not…"

She brushed him off. Her grey eyes met his, dark with more hurt than he ever wanted to see in them.

"Fuck you, Gale." With that she stormed off to her room slamming the door shut.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sooo Sorry for the time this took in uploading. I'm neck deep in exams :( In fact one is on Monday. yikes!**

**Anyhoo. A big thank you to all the reviewers; you guys keep me going. It really means a lot to read your feedback, and response to how the story is developing, so don't forget to review! :)**

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**CHAPTER 2 **

Katniss awoke early next morning with a horrible sense of guilt, as was often the case when she lost her temper like she had last night. Yes, she had been angry at Gale for what he suggested, but after a lot of thought she came to the conclusion that he hadn't meant to "betray" her, and that he always had her best interest at heart. She got out of bed, stretching and yawning and grabbed her towel as she headed to the communal bath. She had never been a morning person but when you live with two other people, sharing a single bathroom, you quickly realize the importance of rising early.

Katniss turned on hot water, and while waiting for it to heat up started brushing her teeth. Her eyes stared back at her, tired and clouded. As she stepped in the shower gingerly, she felt her muscles relaxing to the heat and the steam. For a while she stood there, letting the warmth wash over her. She thought back to the day Peeta had come to see her. She had felt shock to be sure, but also that other feeling she had long since associated with seeing Peeta. That flip of the stomach accompanied by the quickening of her heart, that even now, that she didn't want anything to do with him, she couldn't control. What wouldn't she have given to experience that moment 6 7 years ago?

As she shampooed and scrubbed herself, she couldn't help think of his hands; the way they had felt on hers. As if everything in the world would work out somehow…she had felt herself trust again like she thought she never could. His hands caressing her cheek, cupping her neck, gliding down the flat of her stomach, had felt so good. Suddenly a dull thud shook her out of her trance, her eyes flew open and she looked about her. The shampoo bottle had found its way to the floor.

Looking at her state, she swore and turned the shower knob all the way to "cold". Feeling embarrassed she quickly rinsed and finished off her shower, muttering to herself angrily. She never had ventured in this direction before and felt peeved that just Peeta's memory could make her feel like this. Katniss dried off her body, slipped into her sweats and proceeded towards the kitchenette, tying her hair into a loose braid.

She put up a pot of coffee and went out the fridge to see what she could make. They had milk and eggs and the last few pieces of sausages. She decided to make scrambled eggs. Around the time that she was halfway done, she heard sounds emanating from the bedrooms signaling the presence of life. Almost simultaneously, Jo and Gale emerged from their respective rooms, locked eyes with each other and then followed a mad scuffle to make it to the bathroom first. Gale, having the advantage of longer legs and being situated closer to the washroom won. That left a very disheveled and irate looking Jo for Katniss to deal with.

"Morning sunshine!" Katniss said with exaggerated enthusiasm as Johanna sat on the counter across from her, earning a scowl.

Katniss tried again. "Soo I take it the date didn't go well?"

Jo shrugged. "It was okay, but you know me."

Katniss sighed as she poured coffee for her. "Yes I do. You keep pushing them away." She smirked. "You know… if you are in love with someone you can tell me; because I honestly can't see a reason why a girl like you is still single." Katniss was only half joking but when she saw Johanna's eyes grow wide and the crimson flood her face, she gasped.

"Oh, my God! There IS someone!"

Johanna jumped from her stool and hissed, "Shut up!"

"Come on Jo. Just tell me. Who is it?"

Just then the girls heard Gale's footsteps approaching. Jo motioned for Katniss to zip her lips as she hurried to the washroom, almost bumping into Gale.

"Hey, slow down!" Gale made his way to the kitchenette. His eyes took in the breakfast and a knowing smile spread across his face. "Hmm… this wouldn't be your way apologizing for your unruly behavior and unpleasant language now, would it?"

Katniss smiled. "Does this mean we're okay?"

"Of course we are. Wasn't even mad to begin with." Gale attacked his plate of eggs with vigor.

"That's good. And… I've been thinking about what you said."

Gale looked up at her, silent, waiting.

"I think you were right about hearing him out. At least just get whatever it is he has to say out in the open."

Gale nodded. "Exactly. So you won't be left wondering about this in a few years."

"Mhmm. How're the eggs?"

"Horrible."

Katniss stuck her tongue out at him.

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_At the start of senior year at high school, there had been talk of a new boy, son of a baker who had just moved to the town. Suddenly he seemed to be everywhere. In classes, getting along well with the teachers, charming them out of giving them a pop quiz, on the field where she'd be busy with her track running and he'd be playing football, on the debate team. She watched as his circle of friends grew and she pegged him as a jock. A showoff, and one of those people she knew she'd be annoyed with if they interacted_

_One day, she saw him sitting on the grass away from everyone else, and reading a book. The sight of him; tall, broad shouldered, blonde hair windswept and the white spectacles (which she hasn't seen before), had her eyes glued to him longer than she thought was necessary. She caught herself getting curious but she brushed the idea of talking to him away; she was not known for initiating any kind of social interactions. _

_The first time they spoke was during a chemistry lab period. She was absorbed in her experiment, paying extra attention to the quantities of the acid and alkali she were meant to mix. All of a sudden she heard this low voice, sounding extremely frustrated, right across from her. _

_"Aah, for Pete's sake!" she saw him fidgeting with the equipment; he couldn't adjust the suction bulb onto the pipette. Katniss found herself speaking up._

_"Here, let me help you." She extended her hand, waiting for him._

_He looked up, and his expression of irritation turned to one of relief. He gave her the bulb and the pipette. She tilted her head, motioning for him to follow her to the wash basin. She placed the pipette under the faucet and she twisted it on. She turned the bulb over under the water and rinsed the pipette. _

_"See, the trick is," she said, as she demonstrated it with her hands, "that you need to make sure the bulb is properly moistened. If it isn't wet enough, the pipette won't slide in." She placed the pipette in for him and held it up for him to see. There was a twinkle in his eye, cheeks tinged pink and looked like he was trying not to laugh. _

_"What?" She stared at him. He raised his eyebrow. Suddenly her words replayed in her mind and her face flushed with embarrassment. She clapped her hand to her mouth as he really started laughing now. She turned on her heels and marched back to her station where she ducked her head and tried to get back to her assignment. Peeta followed her to his own station and resumed his work, never uttering a word. At the end of what was possibly the most humiliating 45 minutes of her life, she packed up her things and left the class. _

_As she neared her locker, she heard his voice again, low and deep, calling her name. Willing herself not to run away, she turned to face him. Right, let's just get this over with._

_"Katniss, right?"_

_"Yeah." Her tone was clipped, trying to regain some sort of dignity._

_He gave her a half smile. "Listen I wanted to-"_

_Her eyebrows knitted and she folded her arms over chest. "Yeah I get it; I made a sexual innuendo so now make fun of me. Get your mind out of the gutter, jeez." She opened her locker and stashed her books inside._

_ "Um well, actually I wanted to thank you, for you know, helping me out." He smiled a sweet smile._

_"Oh." She felt herself thaw out and her arms unfolded, her hands reaching up to the tip of her braid. "Uh, you're welcome."_

_He leaned in close, conspiratorial. "But if you want, we can talk about your innuendo too." He wiggled his eyebrow at her suggestively and the change in his expression was so sudden that she barked out a short laugh._

_"No thanks. I think I already made a horrible first impression."_

_He straightened back up. "Oh no, trust me it was good." His eyes were warm._

_"I'm Katniss, by the way." She held out her hand which Peeta took._

_"I know. Peeta Mellark." Another flash of smile._

_Just then, the bell rang._

_"So, where are you headed?"_

_"I have lunch right now." Katniss started walking in the direction of the cafeteria._

_"Oh me too. You mind if we walk together?"_

_"Well, I guess since we're heading in the same direction." She smiled. _


End file.
